Anchor



March 15, 1932. BIRKENMAIER 1,349,263

ANCHOR Filed May 31, 1928 Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITED PATENT OFFICE 'rnnononn IBIBKENMAIER, or ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIeNon Io] N. irnrrnnws ooitronn'r oN, or r. no rIs, MISSOURI, A oonro mrron or MISSOURI nrcnon Application filed m a1, 1928.. Serial No. 281,949.

This invention relates to anchors, and with regard to certain more specific features. to helical earth anchors and wrenches therefor.

Among the several obj ects of the invention may be noted the provision of a stronger helical anchor adapted to be driven home or retrieved by turning it witha wrench ;'and the provision of an an'chor of theclass described having no extraneous driving lugs or the like which are diflicult to properly manufacture. Other objects will be in part obvious and-in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements andcombinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the anchor and wrench therefor in driving position dotted lines showing the applied position of a wrench;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the wrench;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the wrench shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section showing a connection between the anchor and the wrench and is taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated at numeral 1 a shank pointed at 3 for piloting purposes and provided with an integrally cast helical flange 5. The shank is provided with a threaded recess 7 at its upper end for removably receiving a threaded rod 9, the latter comprising a guy rod which is adapted to be provided at its upper end with sultable cable holding means such as an eye or the like.

Heretofore hollow wrenches have been provided to slip over the rod 9, said wrenches having been providedwith either sockets at I their lower endstoengage a polygonal upper end of shank 1 or sockets having slotted sides for engagement with lugs or the like on shank 1 1. The formermethod had the disadvanta e that under heavy torque the socketfwould' e split open. The" difiiculty with the latter method was that a lug small enoughto elimmate cutting away an excessive amount of the socket had .a tendency to break. Further more, such lugs were relatively expensive to cast inasm'uch as a floatingshape was required in the molding process.

The present inventioneliminates all ofthe above disadvantages. It is efiected-by pro'-' viding an opening 11 hthrouf gh the helical flange 5"near its upper end and next'to the This opening does not substan'tially weaken theflange inasmuch 'as it is spaced at some distance'from' the rear edge 15 of said flange.

The wrench comprises a hollow square or other polygonal'tube 17 having ajcylindrical socket 19 at'its lower" end, the socket being of such diameter as to rotatablyfit the upper cylindrical end of the shank 1. .On one side the socket 19 is provided with a recess 21 1 having a sloping upper edge 23 adapted to cooperate with the sloping upper surface 25 of the flange 5 between the opening lland the edge15, The sides of'the recess'21 are provided with retaining lugs 2 7attheir lower ,"Afremov'able wrench han'd1e29is provided for the square portion 17 of the wrench. The operation of the device is as follows:

I The shank 1 is threaded with a guy rod 9. The wrench shown'in Fig.3 is then slipped j over theguy' rod 9 and the socket portion 19 sloping upper edge 23 ofthe opening 21 engages with a sloping upper surface 25 of the flange 5.

The engagement between the anchor and Wrench above set out is exceedingly solid. Upon turning the handle 29 clockwise, the leading edge 33 of the socket 19 drives the edge 15 of the helix 5 to set the anchor. Retrieving of the anchor may be' effected by a counter-clockwise movement which causes en= gagement between the trailing portion 31 of the wrench withone edgeof the opening 11. The lugs 27 ensure that the wrench will not ride up during a twisting operation.

It will be seen .that this invention elim inates the lugs that have been used heretofore for the wrenchengaging purposes. There is no tendencyto split open the socket 19 as when it is used with a polygonal head on the shank 1. Furthermore, the present anchor much easier to construct, inasmuch as the opening 11 may be cored with less difficulty than washad in casting on a lug or lugs' By placing the opening 11 directly in the helical flange '5 it is clear that maximum simplicity of construction is efiected.

In Fig. 5 theshanl: 1 is shown with a recess 2,8, around; the end of the threaded hole which receives the threaded rod, Thepurpojse of this recess is to form arim to limit the amount of bending th'e'rod 9 can do at the weak threaded section at the end of such of the threadsas can never be, quite screwed home. Reference is here made tothe last imperfect threads always obtained with Y L die, Any

further, bending of the rod after a certain amount due to side load is efi'eeted' only where the rod touches the rim of the recess, which rim is pos tioned at a stronger unthreade portion of the rod. Excessive bending then does not tend to break therod at the exposed threads I v V In view of the above, it, will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved; and other advantageous} results attained.

As many changes could be made, in carrying out the above constructions without departingfrom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above. description or shown. in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as il lustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: I

1 In an anchor, a shank, a helical web having an opening therethrough for wrench engag ng purposes and having a trailing edge adapted to be engaged by saidwrench for driving purposes.

2. Inan anchor, a shank, a h lical web having an opening therethrough for wrench engagi g purposes and having a trailing edge adapted to, be engaged by saidwrenehfor driving purposes, the engagement of the Wrench with said opening being for retriev-v ing purposes. i

r 3. In combination, an anchor having an interiorly threaded portion, a guy rod threaded therein, a fixed rim portion on the threaded portion spaced from the upper end of said threaded portion adapted to engage said rod upon the rod bending.

4. In an anchor, a shank, a helical web having a single elongate opening therethrough for wrench engaging purposes, said opening being so arranged with respect to said shank hat; one s de of heshank: forms aside of the open ng. V v V v 5. In combination, an anchor having an r interiorly threaded portion, a guy rod threaded therein an integral rim portion formed on the t-hreac ed" portion and spaced from the guy od but being adapted to engage said; rod upon bending oftherfod. 6. A wrench for anchor driving pint oses which comprises a hollow polygonal tn e, a

socket at the end of saidltnbe adapted toengage the shank of'an anchor to. be driven,

and a e ss infthe wan of. said socket ada ted r to, cooperate with a flange on said, mic or, said recess having a sloping upper edge and at least one retaining lug on a sides. i

In testimony whereofl l have signed my name to this specification this. 28th day of May,1928 I H BIRKTENMAIER, 

